Beyond Behavioral Analysis
by Vampire with a Soul
Summary: "Clarity of mind means clarity of passion, too; this is why a great and clear mind loves ardently and sees distinctly what it loves." - Blaise Pascal. OFC/Reid. Rated M for later chapters
1. My Graduation

Agent Amelia Baylock

I couldn't believe it. I had done it! I felt like leaping for joy as I received my badge and ID. My best friend, Kathleen Herrera, was sitting in the front row in front of the podium applauding wildly. My father stood in the back, looking snappy in his dress blues of the Pennsylvania State Troopers, a proud smile on his face. And even then, I could feel my mother's presence. She was smiling too. I had my doctorate in Criminal psychology and I was all set to go work for the FBI in the Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico. I shook hands with my instructor and smiled as my name was announced. I smiled back at him and returned to my seat. The rest of my classmates received their badges and we all graduated from the FBI Academy. At the reception, my dad came up to me and gave me a huge hug.

"I'm so proud of you, Amelia," he said.

"Thanks, Dad," I replied. I didn't have time to actually say anything else because Kathleen came from behind me in an attack hug.

"Amelia this is so awesome! I can't believe you graduated top of the class! Well, okay, I can believe it but still IT'S SO AWESOME!" Kathleen rambled at a mile a minute. "I wish I could go with you to Quantico."

"Calm down, Kathleen! You graduated too, didn't you? Besides, you're going to be an awesome field agent," I said.

"Aww, thanks!" she said, giving me another squeeze. "I have to go and see my parents. I just wanted to say bye before I headed to DC."

"Bye Kathleen, and good luck," I replied, returning her hug. She gave me one more hug and took off to find her parents. With that, I turned back to my dad, who pulled me into a bear hug.

"Lia, you're going to be amazing," he said, his voice cracking slightly. I pulled back and smiled, wiping the tears from my face.

"Maybe I'll be able to come home at some point soon," I said. He smiled back at me and wiped a tear off of his own face.

"Don't rush it, hun," he said. "You do what you have to do and only take time off if you really need it. But know that you can always come home when you have to. I should probably get going. My flight back to Pittsburgh is going to leave in 4 hours and you know how traffic is at this time of day."

"Yeah," I replied. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, kiddo," he said. We hugged one last time and he left. I watched him go before heading to the green room and picking up my coat and belongings.

"Agent Baylock," came a voice behind me. I turned around to face my director.

"Yes sir?"

"I just wanted to give you this," he said, handing me a brown file folder with the FBI logo on it. I opened it and gave it a once over before closing it and placing it in my blue messenger bag that was hanging across my body from my left shoulder.

"I'll read the details when I get home, sir," I said. He nodded and held out his hand.

"Congratulations, Baylock. You're going to make a hell of an agent," he said.

"Thank you, sir," I said, taking his hand and shaking it. He bid me good night and returned to the other guests who were sticking around a bit longer. I nodded to a few other new agents and headed for the garage. I hopped into my Ford F150 and drove to my apartment, which was about 5 miles past the FBI Headquarters. The reception had been at a local hotel about 2 miles away. I drove past Headquarters on the way to my apartment and I couldn't help but stop and look. The building stood like a beacon in the night, a symbol of the men and women who worked tirelessly to catch the criminals who were a danger to the citizens of the United States. I was more than proud to be a member of this fine organization. Tomorrow, I was going to give my service to my country in the best way that I knew how: finding the sickos that made neighborhoods unsafe for citizens before they caused more trouble.


	2. My New Team

When I got back to my apartment, I set my bag down, made myself some tea, put my PJs on and sat down on my couch with the file. I turned on some Celtic music on my iPod, which was hooked to my stereo, and opened the folder. They were some details regarding whom I was going to be working with.

Aaron Hotchner, the Unit Chief, was a serious looking man with dark hair and eyes. His file said that he had been wounded in the line of duty by a bombing, where another agent was killed. He had also lost his wife to a serial killer who had been stalking him for a time, leaving him with his young son, Jack.

Senior Supervisory Special Agent (Senior SSA) David Rossi was an agent who claimed to have written the book on hostage negotiation and took annual lecture and book-signing tours around the country. Rossi was an older man with dark skin and graying hair.

SSA Derek Morgan was, in a way, living the American dream: troubled youth growing up in Chicago, got into college with a football scholarship to Northwestern, was a Chicago cop and member of the bomb squad before coming to the BAU. He was the only son of a bi-racial couple and was noted to have very strong convictions about who he was.

SSA Emily Prentiss was the daughter of Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss, whom I knew about. She fluent in Arabic and Spanish and was working on Italian. Prentiss looked like her mother: long dark hair and pale skin. Her convictions were strong and she was very serious about her job, but got along with everyone.

SSA and Media Liaison Jennifer "JJ" Jareau was from my area. A graduate of East Allegheny High and a University of Pittsburgh alumnus, Jennifer currently had a child with a cop from New Orleans. I could see why they chose her for their media liaison. Not only did she have the skills, she was a very pretty girl with blonde hair and gentle features.

Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia was actually caught by the FBI and was offered a job because of her skills with computers. She was a bigger girl with blonde hair and a flair for the interesting clothing. Her file also stated that she had a very charismatic personality and shared playful banter with Derek Morgan. _Master hacker…Well, if you can't beat them, get them on your side,_ I thought as I flipped to what seemed like the last file.

SSA Dr. Spencer Reid…_Wait, Doctor?_ I read through his file and saw that he had three PhDs and two BAs and was working on a third BA. He graduated from his high school in Vegas when he was 12 and had an IQ of 187. Mine was only 160 but I still considered myself to be pretty damn smart. This guy, however, was off the charts as far as I was concerned. Hopefully, he would be the one that I could at least talk to about different subjects other than work.

I put the file down and went to my bathroom, taking a good look at myself. Looking back at me was a girl in her early 20s with middle-length ash brown hair. My eyes were dark blue tonight, but there were some days where they would change from light blue to slate gray and everywhere in between. I was still suffering from acne problems, but I only had breakouts when it was that time of the month. I wasn't skinny by any means of the word, but I wasn't heavy. My friends described me as curvy. I washed my face and brushed my teeth. As I crawled into bed, I found myself still thinking about Reid. He and JJ were the only two that I actually had anything in common with, and Reid even more so than JJ. She and I might be from the same town, but Reid and I were of similar intelligence levels and we both were pretty successful for our ages. My biggest question: was he going to like me? Was anyone going to like me?


	3. My First Day

The next day, I parked at Headquarters and walked in, looking professional and my favorite messenger bag over my shoulder, carrying my file on the team, and every other essential thing that I needed – feminine and otherwise. I had a cup of coffee in my right hand and my Bluetooth in my left ear. I walked into the lobby and walked up to the receptionist.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Amelia Baylock," I began, but the receptionist gave me what I needed to know.

"Yes, SSA Hotchner is expecting you. 5th floor," she said, smiling and pointing to the elevators to my left. "Welcome to the FBI," she added.

"Thanks," I said, and headed to the elevators. One was just closing so I ran, calling for the man inside to hold it. Once inside, I went to hit the 5th button, but saw that it was already pressed. When I got a good look at the man standing next to me with a cup of coffee in his hand, I saw dark hair, dark eyes and a serious face. It was SSA Aaron Hotchner. "Umm, Agent Hotchner?" I asked, deciding to go ahead and make the move. He looked at me, slightly confused.

"Yes?" This confirmation should have relaxed me, but I was even more nervous. This was probably because I was looking at my new boss. Switching my coffee to my left hand so that he wouldn't have to, I extended my right hand.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Amelia Baylock, your new team member," I said. I kept my voice friendly, but serious. He looked at me for a second, then gave a small grin and shook my extended hand.

"We've been expecting you, Agent Baylock," he said. "It's a pleasure." The doors opened and we stepped out and headed for an office area that was already bustling with people. "Morning everyone," Hotchner said. "Can I have your attention?" The bustling came quickly to a halt and everyone looked at him. "This is Dr. Amelia Baylock," he continued, motioning to me. "She just graduated from the Academy and will be joining our team."

"It's a real pleasure to be here," I said with a nervous smile.

"I hope you'll all introduce yourselves. Morgan, can you show Amelia where her desk will be?" Hotchner said, looking at a taller, bi-racial man who was standing by a girl with dark brown hair. The man, whom I identified as Derek Morgan, nodded and looked at me with a grin. He walked over while everyone returned to his or her normal business.

"Welcome to the BAU," he said, holding out his hand. "I'm SSA Derek Morgan."

"Nice to meet you," I replied, shaking his hand.

"You're probably going to do a lot of that today," he remarked. Morgan led me over to an empty desk closer to the center of the room. "So this is where you'll live for the rest of your life," he joked as I set my bag down. I laughed along with him.

"That's the plan," I said.

"Anyway, Hotch's office is up there," Morgan continued, pointing to a few windows that were above the rest of the desks. "The rest of the peasants are down here," he added with a smile, making a sweeping motion around the rest of the office. I grinned and started unpacking my stuff.

"Thanks a lot, Morgan. I appreciate it," I said.

"No problem. If you need anything, don't hesitate to let me know," he replied. He have me a pat on the back and went back to his desk. I nodded and continued with my unpacking. Throughout the next 10 minutes or so, Emily Prentiss, JJ, and David Rossi all came up to me and said introduced themselves. JJ even commented that she was glad to have another "yinzer" nearby. I even got lucky, apparently, and caught Penelope Garcia out of her computer room. There was one person, however, that I really wanted to meet: Spencer Reid. I didn't see him for a good hour. It was only when he walked out of one of the conference rooms with a stack of papers that I actually got a good look at him. He was very tall, his hair was shoulder length, wavy, and looked slightly unkempt compared to the picture on his file. He walked right past my desk and sat down at his…right across from mine. It took him an additional 5 minutes before he actually looked up and saw me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him catch Morgan, who was walking past. They had a quick, hushed conversation, where Reid pointed to me with a puzzled look on his face. Apparently, Morgan had said that I was new here, because Reid stood up and walked all of 3 feet to my desk.

"Hi there, I'm told you're the new member of the team," Reid said, his manner polite. I looked up to see him standing there with his hands in his pockets and a bit of an awkward smile on his face. I nodded, stood up and smiled – Gosh, my face was getting tired from all of the smiling – holding out my hand.

"Yeah, I am," I replied. "I'm Dr. Amelia Baylock." Reid shook my hand and his awkward smile – which was incredibly cute – turned into a look of mild shock.

"'Doctor'? What's you're doctorate in?" he asked.

"Criminal Psychology, specifically addiction and stalking," I replied.

"You're kind of…"

"Young? I know. But I could say the same thing about you, Dr. Reid. I read your file." I noticed that saying that created a small shadow of surprise cross over his face before it was quickly replaced with another look.

"I'm impressed," he said. "Are you working on anything else?"

"Sort of. I'm taking online classes for my BA in Child Psychology. The human mind just fascinates me," I replied.

"Where did you do your PhD?"

"CUNY. I'm doing my Child Psychology at Pitt." He was about to ask another question when both of our phones rang. We looked at them, looked back at each other, smiled and awkwardly excused ourselves. I sat down and picked up my phone.

"Baylock."

"All yinz doin' aight?" said a male voice with an exaggerated Pittsburgh accent. I laughed out loud.

"Hi, Dad," I said.

"Hey honey. Did you get settled in alright?"

"Dad, I've only been here for half an hour."

"I just wanted to make sure that everything was alright."

"Everything is fine. How was the flight home?"

"Boring and short. Irene's here, you want to talk to her?"

"Sure." Irene was my stepmom. She and her son Ryan came into our family about two years after my real mom, Sergeant First Class Sheila Baylock, was killed in action in Afghanistan three years ago. I was just starting my Ph. D. There was some rustling in the background and I heard a female voice say something to my dad before she came to the phone.

"Amelia?"

"Hi, Irene," I said. I wasn't angry that my dad had remarried. I found out that my mom had told him to remarry before she shipped out, and my dad had made sure that I was okay with it before he brought her home to meet me.

"How are you doing?"

"Good. I'm settled in and I've met the team. Now I just have to wait until we get called in to do a case," I said, leaning back and glancing over at Reid's desk. He was off of the phone and was looking at me.

_My family_, I mouthed to him. He nodded and started writing something down, but I looked away because Irene was telling me about her latest adventure with my stepbrother, Ryan.

"I think you got him convinced to try out for musical," she said.

"Oh good. He's got an awesome chance for at least Kenicke," I replied. Ryan was on the fence about trying out for our high school's production of _Grease_ and I'd been constantly badgering him to sing, mainly because I knew that he could. "Where is he now?"

"Auditions were yesterday," Irene responded.

"Aw, why didn't he text me?"

"I think he did, but I don't know if it went through or not." I pulled out my cell phone and checked the text messages. Sure enough, there was one from Ryan giving me the time of his audition. I felt terrible.

"Oh man…I can't call him right now. Tell him I'm sorry and that I'll call him later. I've got to go," I said. "Tell Dad and Ryan that I love them and I'll call when I can."

"Alright. Love you, kiddo," Irene said.

"Love you too," I said and hung up.

"Your brother a singer?" Reid asked.

"Yeah, we both are," I replied.

"Wait, you sing?"

"Yep," I said, rotating my chair to face him. "Know any good karaoke bars nearby?" I could tell that he was about to say no when JJ stepped in.

"There's one about 5 blocks east of here," she said, walking past with a handful of files. "But we can talk about that later, we got called in. You'll like this one, newbie." Reid and I got up and started to head for the conference room.

"Newbie?" I heard Reid ask himself.

"It's a term for a rookie or newcomer, specifically popular in gaming circles," I put in. I finished saying that as we walked into the conference room.

"Jeeze, you've known him for 5 minutes and you already sound like him," Morgan said as he walked in behind us. I looked at Reid, confused. He just shook his head.

"Ignore him," he said quietly.

"Man, what's it going to be like, having two Reids around?" Emily wondered aloud.

"Hopefully they'll balance each other out and we can all retire," Rossi joked.

"Highly unlikely," Hotchner said, grabbing his file from JJ and sitting down. JJ passed the case files out and turned on a projector. A picture of a woman in her 30s appeared on the screen. She was smiling, had green eyes and brown hair and was wearing a Ben Roethlisberger throwback jersey.

"This is Sarah Cornwall of Bethel Park. Her body was found this morning under the 10th street Bridge in Pittsburgh. She was reported missing a week ago and she's the 2nd body they've found. The first was Jane Zolinski of Mt. Lebanon." JJ flipped to a new slide. It was a side by side of the two women in the morgue. "She was also found under the 9th street Bridge," JJ said, launching into briefing mode.

"Do these two victims have anything in common?" Rossi asked.

"Yeah, they do," I piped in. Everyone turned and looked at me. "Both were teachers at the Creative and Performing Arts High School in downtown Pittsburgh." When I was met with silence, I shrunk a little. "I did some shows there when I was a kid and they both were worked at least one each. Sarah was working on _Les Miserables_ and Jane worked _West Side Story_."

"Both victims were strangled and dumped just along the edge of the Monongahela River. Oh, and there's something else. This is the reason that we got assigned to this case." She flipped to another slide. There were words carved into the victims. JJ flipped to a new slide. "This was carved into each of the victims, split between the both of them."

_I'm gonna wake up, yes and no  
I'm gonna kiss some part of  
I'm gonna keep this secret  
I'm gonna close my body now_

_ANALYZE THIS, BAYLOCK!_

"This is the main reason that the Pittsburgh PD called us," JJ continued, looking at me. I could feel my face heat up with a blush. "Sergeant Joe Baylock requested our team pointedly. Now, we're not sure what these are from…"

"They're lyrics," I said. "It's _Die Another Day _by Madonna. It was used in the James Bond movie with the same name. And Joe Baylock is my father, so he probably wants me home."

"Well, he's getting his wish. Wheels up in an hour," Hotchner said, walking out. I didn't know what to expect, but I had a feeling that this was going to me anything but a fun trip home.

EDIT: Thanks to jazzakai2000 for the fix on the bridge locale! :)


	4. What's to come?

_I didn't sign up for this…_

DAD: Amelia, I don't want you involved in this.

_I wasn't expecting this…_

HOTCH: This unsub isn't after a civilian.

ROSSI: He's after one of us.

_Why can't I control myself?_

SPENCER: I'm here because I care about you, Amelia.

_It's not allowed…_

HOTCH: You know how the guys upstairs feel about this.

_This isn't supposed to be happening!_

AMELIA: This is about me! Leave them out of this, you coward!

_Am I really prepared to do what I have to do?_

UNSUB: If I can't have you, no one can!

NNNOOOOOOOOOOO!

_How did it come to this?_

Beyond Behavioral Analysis.  
Not even an FBI Profiler could have seen this coming.

_  
Sorry about this, but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging. Part 3 isn't really ready yet, but I wanted to give you guys something.


	5. My First Case

While we were on the plane, we discussed the case at length. As soon as we were in the air, Hotchner, who told me to call him Hotch, looked right at me.

"You realize that this could be a little bit more than just a case, right? This could be a direct relation to you or your family," he said. Everyone else nodded and looked at me worriedly. I sighed and put down the case file that I had been studying.

"Look guys, I know that I'm the new kid on the block, but I'm not helpless. I had some of the best grades at the academy and a cop and a soldier raised me. I know how nasty things can get. So, let's just focus on the case and not worry about me," I said. There were a few moments of silence, and then we got back to the case.

"Alright, it's definite that this unsub wants something from someone specific, meaning either you, or your family," Rossi said, nodding at me. I nodded and started taking notes on a legal pad that I brought with me.

"Well, what does your family do? You said that you were raised by a cop and a soldier." Morgan said.

"My dad, obviously, is a cop. My mom was a soldier in the Army," I replied.

"Where is your mom now?" JJ asked. I just looked at her. I knew the look in my eyes would say it all, but I didn't care.

"Your mom's dead?" Rossi asked.

"Yeah. She was KOA in Afghanistan 3 years ago. That's how my dad and Irene met. Her husband was killed a year later in Iraq. They met at a support group for people who had lost a loved one in the war."

"Were you there with your dad?" Emily asked.

"No, I was just starting my Ph.D. at CUNY," I replied.

"Was there anyone else there that you were close to?" Hotch asked.

"My friend Kathleen's dad, Adam Herrera. His twin brother had died around the same time as my mom, but he had died in the hospital after sustaining heavy injuries in the same attack…he didn't make it off of the operating table. It was awful," I said, my voice cracking once at the horrible memory of the phone call that my dad had gotten two days after we had gotten the news that my mother had died.

Kathleen had called me in tears. She apologized almost right away for calling her like this, but she said that she really needed to talk to me. Then, she hit me with the news. It didn't help that I was already upset that my mom was gone, but Allen Herrera was like an uncle to me, and I was upset that the military surgeons weren't able to at least save his life. They had had the funerals the day after one another. I could remember not even wanting to get out of my black dress, but out of respect and because I knew what my mom would say, I made sure that I changed into something different, choosing my best concert attire from the choir I sang with. I still had nightmares sometimes, but no one knew except for Irene and my Dad.

I came back to reality when I felt JJ's hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw her smiling sympathetically at me. I shook off the memory, returning her smile, and returned to my case at hand. I could almost hear Allen and my mother berating me for dwelling on their memory when there was work to be done and other people to help.

"So where are Adam and Kathleen now?" Morgan asked. I was ready to protest, but then I realized that this could help eliminate them as suspects, so I continued.

"Adam still lives in the West End with his new wife, Sandra. They got married a year ago. Kathleen's mother divorced him when Kathleen was 16. I'm not sure why, but she Kathleen graduated with me at the Academy and is working with the FBI office in DC," I said.

"You should go and see him when we land. Reid, you go with her," Hotch said. "JJ, you should go to see Amelia's dad."

"You'll see him when you set up shop at Pittsburgh PD. My dad's probably really involved in the case directly," I said.

"Is there anything else about your family that we should know?" Hotch asked.

"Irene married my dad 6 months ago. Ryan was staying with us off and on for 6 months before that," I replied.

"Why is that?" Reid asked, looking somewhat confused.

"Ryan has Asperger syndrome. He's higher functioning than some cases that I've studied before, but he still has episodes," I said. "He stayed with us so that he could mentally adjust his normal routine."

"That makes sense," Prentiss said. "New environment, new routine." I nodded. After a few minutes, I brought up the question that I knew needed answered.

"Hotch, are you sure that you want me to work this case? I know that I said I can handle myself, but if you think that I'm going to compromise the team, I can sit this one out," I said.

"Well, normally I would make you sit this out, but maybe it is a good idea that you and your dad get involved. After all, it can either involve him or you…we don't know," Hotch said. I nodded, but in my head I was praying that it involved me and not my father. I was sure that he was thinking the same thing since it was his chief who requested my team. My dad wanted to protect me, and I wanted to protect him, Irene and Ryan. Now, I had the power to do that, and I was going to do anything that I could to make sure that no one touch my family.


	6. What did I do?

When we landed, Reid and I headed for a black suburban that had been provided for us. Out of habit, I called my dad and told him that we landed. Since I started at the Academy, Dad had gotten a special cell phone that was coded and that only my mom, Ryan and I knew the number. That way, I could get ahold of him without anyone knowing my location or anyone spying on us. I told him that he was paranoid at first, but I realized when I got off the plane in Pittsburgh that it was a good idea. That said and done, I moved to get into the driver's seat.

"Are you sure you want to drive?" Reid asked, as if he was afraid that I would get lost or that I was nervous.

"Do you know where we're going?" I asked in reply.

"Um….no," he admitted. " I haven't had time to study the maps that much.

"Adam's house is in the West End of Pittsburgh…that area's tricky. I'll drive," I said, the tone of my voice ending that conversation. We hopped in the car and took off. It was 4 o'clock when we landed, so I took back roads and detours in order to avoid traffic.

"Wouldn't it be quicker to get on the…" Reid began, but I looked at him as I turned onto a back road in Greentree.

"Trust me, it's rush hour traffic, and the Parkway is NOT the place to be. We'll get the West End a lot quicker if we bypass it," I replied, and I was right. It took us half an hour to get from the Airport to the West End, whereas if I had gotten on the Parkway…well….we would have still been on it. The clock was ticking and I was ready to get this case underway. After another three minutes of navigating the West End, I parked about ten feet down the street from Adam's house. There was still a black flag flying from the porch, just as there had been when Allen died.

"Was your family close with the Herrera's?" Reid asked me as we got out.

"Yeah, we were really close. Allen and my Mom were in the same unit, so whenever they were stateside, our families would get together all the time," I said. "Adam never really healed after Allen died."

"Hence the black flag," Reid observed. As we got closer, I saw a red Camry parked in front of the house.

"Adam's home at least," I said, motioning to the car. We walked up the steep steps and Reid rang the doorbell. There was a moment of steps heading to the door and it opened to reveal a man in his mid 50s with dark hair and tan skin. What was sad to me was that Adam was only 46. He had aged horribly because of depression and stress. His brown eyes that were so like Kathleen's still looked sad behind a mask of happiness. Those eyes, however, lit up when they saw me.

"Amelia!" he exclaimed. "It's great to see you!"

"Hi there, Adam," I said, smiling. "It's great to see you too."

"When did you get in?"

"About 45 minutes ago."

"Well come on in," Adam said, his joyful voice showing me that he had finally begun to heal. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" My smile faltered.

"Actually, Adam, this isn't a social call," I said. He stopped on his way to the kitchen to turn and look at me, slightly confused.

"This is SSA Dr. Spencer Reid, one of my colleagues at the BAU. We're here because of the recent murders downtown." Adam nodded and continued to the kitchen.

"Yes, I heard about them in the news. Your father said that he was going to contact the FBI and see if he could get you down here to help," he said. "Have a seat, I'll be out in a minute." I led Reid into the living room. Pictures were now up of Kathleen's graduation from the Academy, some of which included me. There was also a shadow box above their fireplace with a picture of Allen and some of his medals that he won while serving. The flag from his coffin was in it's own box on the mantle. We turned around when we heard Adam come back it. He tossed a bottle of water at me, and one at Reid. "Please, sit down," Adam said, motioning to the two sofas that were facing each other. He sat down on one while I sat down on the other. Reid was still looking at the pictures on the mantle.

"Have you already talked to the police?" I asked as I unscrewed the cap and took a swig from the water bottle.

"Yes. Your dad came over and talked to me personally. I've been out of town for a couple of days. I wanted to help Kathleen move in to her apartment in DC," he said. "And before you ask, here's my boarding pass and a receipt from my hotel room in DC." He slid two papers across the coffee table that was between the sofas. I looked them over and saw that they were authentic. Adam had spent way too much time around my dad and me.

"Here's the thing, Adam," I said. "The body that we recently found has been dead for about a week. A small flash of fear crossed his face.

"Adam, I want you to know that we don't suspect you at all. But," I said, reaching into my pocket and pulled out DNA swab. "If you would be willing to volunteer a sample, I'm almost positive that we can rule you out as a suspect."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Adam said. "I'll volunteer, but it's still not the main thing that I'm worried about."

"Mr. Herrera, is there something that you're not telling us?" Reid asked. Adam was quiet for a few minutes, then he started crying, something that I hadn't seen him do when his brother died.

"I thought that you were here about Kathleen," he almost whispered. My heart stopped.

"What about her?" I asked.

"She came home with me, to pick up some things that she left in her room, and then she left ten minutes later. I got a call from her supervisor two hours ago. She never showed up!" He broke down sobbing. I couldn't say anything. Now Kathleen was missing. Who was this freak? What did he want? What did I do to him?


	7. Tiny Detail, Huge Effect

I got the DNA swab from Adam and drove to the Pittsburgh PD as fast as the streets and speed limits would allow me to drive. While we were on the way, I got Garcia on the phone.

"Oracle of the FBI, speak mortal," came the voice.

"Garcia, I need you to do something for me," I said.

"Name it."

"I need to flag a cell phone and credit cards for Kathleen Susan Herrera."

"It shall be done, but can I ask why?"

"She's missing." There was silence on the other end for a few seconds.

"We'll find her, Bay," Garcia said. As my mind registered her new nickname for me, I smiled.

"'Bay'? I like it," I said.

"I shall alert you at the first sign of activity," Garcia replied, a smile in her voice.

"You rock, Garcia," I said.

"I know," she quipped, and hung up. The rest of the drive took me about 5 minutes. When we pulled in, I jumped out of the car and was at the door before Reid could even shut his door.

"Amelia, slow down!" I barely heard him call to me. I was too nervous to slow down, though. For all I knew, there would soon be another body and it may just be my best friend. I ran in to the precinct and almost threw Adam's DNA sample at the first tech that I saw.

"Make sure this is on file and run it against the bodies we've found," I said, speaking a mile a minute. She nodded and walked off briskly to do her job. I didn't recognize her, I realized after she had walked off. For the first time, I stopped and looked around. To my surprise, there were only a few faces that I didn't recognize. A few officers stopped and said hi to me and congratulated me on my new position. I thanked them quickly before they bustled off. The whole precinct was buzzing. It seemed like the whole force was on the case. I half expected everyone to be in one place, but it was the exact opposite.

Morgan was talking to two officers that I remembered to be John Coles and Jerry McDonald. Jerry was in his early 40s and bald with dark brown eyes and John was in his mid-30s with bright red hair and green eyes. They generally were in charge of drug busts. JJ was as the front desk, putting together what I guessed was the beginnings of her press release with Karla Burkett, the publicist for the precinct, though the boys called her the mother of the station. There were female officers, but Karla was the oldest of the women – young at 52 - and had been there the longest. The experience showed in her graying black hair and knowing dark blue eyes. Prentiss was on the phone back in the conference room, most likely with Garcia back in Quantico, and Hotch was nowhere to be seen. My guess? He was talking with my dad.

"Wow, it's busy in here," Reid said from my right side. He had just cleared the front desk with his FBI ID. Marissa, the girl who was at the front desk at the time, knew who I was and normally just let me walk in.

"I don't think I've ever seen it this busy," I commented.

"We'd better get started," Reid said, and headed to where Prentiss was talking on her cell phone. I was just about to follow him when a new officer stopped me.

"Agent Baylock, Sergeant Baylock would like to see you," he said, his manner official. I inwardly smiled at the formalities. "If you could follow me," he began, but I stopped him.

"I know where his office is, but thank you, Officer…?" I said, looking for a nametag on his uniform.

"Kerchinski. Officer Ed Kerchinski, ma'am," he said.

"Kerchinski. Again, thank you," I smiled. He smiled back and went on his way. I headed back to the office that I knew all to well. Sure enough, Chief Sam Wilson and my father were standing there. Sam was in his late 40s. His full head of hair was combed back and already grey and his eyes were blue and had many stories to tell. Despite all of that, he was physically fit. My father, Joe, was just into his 40s and balding, though his hair was still dark brown. His green eyes looked tired, but most likely from no sleep over the past few days.

"Welcome home, Doc," Sam said, a small smile on his face. He had started calling me that when I graduated with my Masters Degree from Ball State University.

"Thanks, Sam," I said. "I wish this were a social visit."

"So do I," my dad said. "I'm still glad you're home, though."

"Yeah, me too, Dad. Hotch," I turned to my supervisor. "Adam just told me that Kathleen never reported for duty."

"What? Adam's girl?" dad asked.

"Yeah, I just came from his house. He told me," I replied.

"Have Garcia," Hotch began.

"Flag her credit cards and cell phone? Already did," I said. Hotch looked at me for a minute, then simply nodded and continued.

"Do we have anything else on the bodies that we found?" he asked Sam. Sam picked up two folders on his desk and handed them to Hotch, who handed one to me. It was the autopsy reports for the two dead teachers.

"COD is strangulation. The cuts are postmortem, and other than that and their jobs they had nothing to do with each other." I read out.

"Get these to Prentiss and Reid. JJ and Morgan can read them when they're done with…whatever it is that they're doing," Hotch said, handing me his file.

"I'll get Marissa to make copies of these," I said, taking the file from him. Hotch nodded and turned back to my Dad and Sam. I tried to act as professional as I could, but my mind was in turmoil. I was surprised that it was letting me think straight. We had a possible serial killer in my hometown, he or she was targeting my family, and now my best friend was missing. I had to consider the possibility that she was AWOL, but that thought quickly left my head. Kathleen would never do that, and I knew it. Marissa had those copies in my hands within minutes and I was passing out the autopsy to the rest of the team. As I did, Morgan grabbed my arm.

"Hey, you okay kid?" he asked quietly. "You look a little pissed."

"I'm fine, Morgan," I said, a little too quickly. He gave me the skeptical don't-try-to-trick-the-profiler look. I looked around and the rest of the team was looking at me with the same look. I sighed in defeat, realizing that I shouldn't try to conceal my emotions. "I'll talk about it later," I said as Hotch came into the room with my dad and Sam. The three men looked at me, Hotch with some mild concern that was masked behind his professionalism, Sam with some confusion, and my Dad with thinly veiled worry. I managed a half-hearted smile before Hotch started talking.

"Alright, so what do we have?"

"The victims had already been dead for about two days, but they had been in the river for about a day. It was long enough for the water to wash away any DNA evidence on either bodies," Prentiss began.

"It's been rainy lately, so the currents have sped up on the rivers," Dad pointed out.

"That should cut the time in the water by about a third," Reid said, looking at a topographical map of Pittsburgh and the surrounding area.

"So, we're looking at about 8 hours or so, but the body wasn't discovered until yesterday, so it's possible that the body could have been in the water but just sitting under the bridge at the dump site," I said.

"Was there anything else unique about the body?" Morgan asked Sam.

"They did find a cement block tied to the body so that it wouldn't move more than a few feet," Sam replied.

"Were there any tire tracks?" Hotch asked.

"No, nothing like that," Dad said.

"Okay, Reid and Rossi, head down to the crime scene and take a look around. Morgan, Prentiss, I want you to start interviewing the neighbors around the area to see if they heard anything like a boat or something early in the morning. Baylock, I want you to stay with me and start working the victimology. Alright, let's move," Hotch ordered. Everyone nodded and those who were leaving grabbed a jacket or bag and walked out. I turned to my copy of the autopsy report, sat down, and started scrutinizing over everything. My mind started working in double time.

_Okay, so they were both strangled. There were marks around the victims' necks so that means that there were no fingerprints, not that there would be anyway._ As I looked at the photos, I noticed something different about the bodies. Zolinski's neck had a crossed mark on her neck, while Cornwall had a straight line, and Cornwall's was deeper and had cut the skin. I grabbed both pictures of their necks and stuck them on the pegboard that held a map of Pittsburgh, other pictures of the crime scene and victims, along with some notes about them – what they did, how they died, where they were found, etc. I stuck the pictures of their necks underneath their respective pictures of when they were alive and looked at them.

"You have something?" Hotch asked.

"Yeah, look at these ligature marks," I said, pointing to either picture. Hotch got up and stood beside me. "Zolinski was strangled from the front while Cornwall was strangled from behind, and by someone much stronger."

"The MO is too different. The first victim…the unsub wanted to watch her die. The second victim was strangled from behind and much harder, probably to kill her faster. Sarah Cornwall was killed with remorse, while Jane Zolinski was not. We're looking at two unsubs."


	8. Emotions Running High

Hotch got the rest of the team together and we discussed the possibility of there being two unsubs. Everyone agreed that it was the most likely reason for the change in MO.

"Way to pick that up, kiddo," Morgan said to me, giving me a small smile. I turned pink and looked down, smiling sheepishly. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Prentiss and JJ smiling at each other. Curious, I allowed myself to open my empathic mind to gather a bit more info on my team.

Oh yeah, that's something else. I'm empathic. That means that I can pick up on emotions of other people. I found out while I was still in college, but since then I've learned to turn it off. Otherwise I would start crying for no reason because I would pick up on some girl's emotions over a recent breakup or start laughing because some boy just got laid the night before and totally blew her off afterwards. Nevertheless, I opened my mind and focused on my team.

Hotch was giving me a very serious mood. He wanted to catch whoever was doing this and make sure that they were put away for a very long time, but he wasn't getting too attached to the case. Underneath all of the seriousness, however, I felt an amount of compassion that was particularly strong. I felt like I was mourning someone very close to me, almost the same as the mourning that I still felt for my mother. _What is that?_

When I focused on Morgan, I felt this compulsion to go the victim's families and tell them that I would do everything that I could to put these psychos away. I wanted to catch them in the act and bring them in myself. _So this is why Morgan is so intense,_ I thought as I pulled back to myself.

Prentiss' emotions were pretty level. The amount of remorse that was normal for this situation was still there, but I still noticed that she was calm and thinking things through. She didn't allow her emotions to totally take over: the mark of a good agent. Not that the others were bad agents, but I had always been taught – by both my teachers at the Academy and my parents – that if you get to emotionally involved, it can cloud your judgment. I wasn't getting that from Prentiss. However, behind all of that, I could feel a need. There was something egging her on, but I couldn't tell what it was.

JJ was similar to Prentiss, but there was a nagging of wanting to go back home. I remembered that she had a son back home, so that didn't surprise me as much. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out how to break this news to the press without causing mass panic, something that we all wanted to avoid.

Reid was something different. While I could feel his mind racing even faster than JJ's there was something in the background…something that I couldn't place. It almost felt like there was a monster lurking in his soul and it was just waiting for the moment to spring and claim him. I could feel confusion, quickly replaced by understanding. It was an endless cycle. But that fear was still there. What was it?

There was one emotion that my whole team shared, even if it was only brief and weaker in some than others. They were all surprised and proud…of me. That was the only emotion that truly caught me off guard and caused me to blush even more. I closed my mind off and focused back on my job. Everyone was reading the case file over again, except for Reid. I looked at him, and he looked right back at me. I opened my mind again and found that he was confused again, but the confusion was directed towards me. He was trying to understand me the way that he understood everything else. He was profiling me. Sealing my mind off again, I gave him a small smile and looked away. I wondered if he saw the message behind my smile.

_I know what you're trying to do. Good luck ;)_

"Alright, I think we're ready to give the profile," Hotch said. Everyone nodded and left the conference room for the bullpen. Sam gathered the force together and we started to give the profile.

"We've determined that there are two unsubs," Hotch began. "Most likely a couple. They obviously have something against Sergeant Baylock and his family, so don't be afraid to go to him or Agent Baylock for questions."

"They have a dominant-submissive relationship," Morgan continued. "One person orchestrates the murder and is in it whole-hearted, while the other is more remorseful and unwilling to commit the murders."

"Because of this, the couple will give off certain types of body language. The dominant will be very self-confident and strong willed, walking very tall and looking straight ahead while walking down the street, while the submissive will walk around looking down or following behind the partner almost like a pet," Reid chipped in.

"We don't know the gender yet, or even the type of relationship. Keep in mind that it could be someone you least expect. Each victim was treated in a way that there is no DNA evidence on the bodies. This most likely means that one of them has had training in law enforcement," I said. I noticed that some of the cops started looking at each other. "I'm not saying that it's a cop, but there is probably some training background."

"One of them may try and insert themselves into the investigation. If we pick up any volunteers, then we need to make sure to give them a background check before allowing them to help. On the other hand, one or both will know absolutely nothing about it, not even from what has been said on the news. Regardless of all of that, we know one thing for certain: the Baylock family is involved somehow," Hotch finished.

"You're not saying that Joe and Amelia could be the…" one of the older cops began, but I held up my hand.

"We're not saying that my father and I are the killers. We are just saying that we are involved. You can ask my father if you want. Both of us have nothing to hide and we will happily answer your questions," I said. There was a moment of silence, then Sam got up.

"Alright, you know what to look for, so let's get going," he said. There was a rustle of movement as everyone left. As I was heading back to the conference room, my dad grabbed my arm.

"My office, now," he said softly. I watched him walk away and whisper something in Hotch's ear. When Hotch looked at me, I knew that he had told him the same thing. Right then and there, I knew what was coming, so I started to get my argument together. I followed Hotch into my father's office and shut the door behind me. My father sat on his desk and looked at me. I knew what he was going to say, but I wanted him to say it first.

"Amelia, I want you to go back to Quantico," he said. "I don't want you involved any more than you have to be." I sighed and looked at Hotch, then my dad.

"Dad, this is what I do for a living. How can I help my team if I'm not here?"

"What about your tech girl? She's still back in Quantico."

"Garcia's equipment is all back in Quantico, plus she almost never goes out into the field. She's not an SSA, dad, I am. For once, please just let me do this."

"Sergeant, we really need Amelia here," Hotch put in. "This is her hometown and she can get us around the city easier."

"I don't want my daughter to end up a victim of these psychopaths!" my dad practically screamed. Promptly, he calmed himself as much as he could and he looked at me. "How do I feel?" he asked me. Hotch looked at him and then back at me. I sighed and opened my mind again. Sure enough, a wave of emotion washed over me. It was an intense mix of love and worry. My dad loved me, and I knew that. I was his only biological child and his only girl. I knew that he loved Ryan and Irene just as much as he loved my mom and me. But now, I was really getting a taste of his love for me. He was genuinely afraid for my life, more so than I was. I could tell that he wanted the unsubs to be after him. He knew that I could take care of myself, but he had developed a motherly instinct when my mom was shipped out the first time. He had been able to turn it off whenever she had been home, but I could still remember him calling me every weekend while I was away at school and while I was at the Academy. Coming back to reality, I realized that I was crying, my dad was crying and Hotch was standing in the corner, as if giving us enough privacy to at least give us our moment but still be in the conversation. My dad and I hugged tightly.

"Dad, I love you, but this is exactly why I have to finish this case. Mom wouldn't want me to back off simply because my life was in danger. She didn't, and you don't, so why would I?" I felt regretful understanding when I finished my sentence. My dad nodded, gave me one final hug, and walked out of his office, leaving me and Hotch in there.

"What did he mean when he asked you how he felt?" Hotch asked me.

"I'm empathic," I said simply. "I can pick up on other people's emotions. It comes in handy when you want to find out if someone is lying. I mean, I know how to do that anyway, but feeling their nervousness and hope that we don't find out the truth helps a bit too," I added. Hotch looked at me evenly, though I could see the confusion and curiosity in his dark brown eyes. After a few moments, I broke the silence. "You want to know if I can feel what you're feeling right now, don't you?" I asked. His eyes grew wide for a split second before returning to their normal state.

"You picked up on that?"

"No, I was reading your facial expression and I could see the curiosity in your eyes," I replied.

"Well then, what am I feeling?" Hotch asked. I checked for only a split second before replying.

"You're very serious about this case, like all cases that you've worked in the past. You're worried about me and my involvement in this case, especially since it's my first. Don't worry, Hotch. I'm a big girl, and I can take care of myself," I said with a smile. He nodded and I swore that I saw a bit of a grin.

"Alright, but if you feel the least bit worried for you life, I want you to catch the first flight back to Quantico and wait for us, understand?" he said. I nodded. He walked out of the office, leaving me alone in there. I knew that I could very well be in over my head, but right now, I could feel my mom encouraging me onwards. I promised her and myself that I wouldn't let her down.


End file.
